Fabric, primarily cellulose comprising fabric, inter alia, cotton, has a propensity to wrinkle when laundered. Cotton fabric, which secondary structure is determined by the hydrogen bonds formed between proximal saccharide residues, becomes wrinkled when said hydrogen bonds are formed between units that are further away from one another than the original bonds. Wrinkling can occur under a number of circumstances including loss of nascent water from fabric while the fabric is not spread flat or if the fabric is mechanically bent or folded.
Manufacturers of cellulose comprising fabric have long sought to abate the propensity of this type of fabric to wrinkle. One means has been to treat the fabric during the manufacture stage with crosslinking agents that provide a rigid fiber matrix, for example, permanent press treatments involving formaldehyde or other reactive crosslinking agents.
Treatment of fabric, however, can relate to the loss of properties which are desired, inter alia, strength, breathability, softness. There is therefore a long felt need for a means of providing anti-wrinkle benefits to fabric which does not modify the surface of the fabric in a manner which detracts from the fabric qualities.